There’s a Powerful Third Wheel in S.F.’s Heated House Race: Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi speaks at a the Get Out the Vote rally in San Francisco on May 29, 2026 in support of Supervisor Connie Chan. Pelosi has endorsed Chan’s bid to replace her in Congress.
TL;DR
- Nancy Pelosi has heavily endorsed and campaigned for Supervisor Connie Chan in her bid to replace her in Congress, a race against State Sen. Scott Wiener.
- Pelosi's involvement includes hosting fundraisers, contributing financially, lending staff, and featuring in campaign ads for Chan.
- Wiener's campaign has criticized Chan's reliance on Pelosi, questioning her qualifications to run independently.
- Chan maintains that she is earning endorsements on her own merit and is running her own campaign, not as a Pelosi proxy.
- Pelosi states her support for Chan is due to her desire for more women and moms in Congress and Chan's experience.
- Despite Pelosi's influence, there are doubts about whether her endorsements still carry significant weight with voters, citing past instances where her choices were rejected.
- The race has become contentious, with allegations of Pelosi pressuring donors and Wiener's campaign using an AI chatbot to attack Chan.
- Other Democratic figures like Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jared Huffman have also endorsed Chan, with varying degrees of emphasis on Pelosi's influence.
- There are underlying rumors about Pelosi's motivations, including a potential desire for her daughter to run for the seat in the future.